Eastern Canada Heritage Trail

Highlights

• Old Montreal and Old Quebec's centuries of French colonial history
• Halifax's Pier 21 immigration museum and the Halifax Citadel
• Peggy's Cove and the UNESCO-listed streets of Lunenburg
• Green Gables country in Cavendish, Prince Edward Island
• Hopewell Rocks and Parliament Hill in Ottawa

Itinerary

Day 1

Arrive Toronto

Arrive into Toronto for the start of a ten-day trip tracing Eastern Canada's colonial, immigrant, and Confederation-era history from Ontario to the Maritimes and back. Settle in for the night — an early departure tomorrow begins the long drive east to Montreal.

No meals included

Toronto, ON

Old Montreal, QC

Notre-Dame Basilica, Montreal, QC

Day 2

Toronto → Montreal

Settle in for the day's drive east to Montreal, arriving with time to explore Old Montreal's cobblestone streets and 17th-century architecture, laid out when the city was still the fortified colonial outpost of Ville-Marie. Step inside the Notre-Dame Basilica, its dazzling blue-and-gold interior a world away from its plain grey stone exterior, before settling in for the night.

Breakfast included

Old Montreal, QC

Notre-Dame Basilica, Montreal, QC

Quebec City, QC

Day 3

Montreal → Quebec City

Continue northeast to Quebec City, the only walled city north of Mexico and the cradle of French Canada, founded by Samuel de Champlain in 1608. Spend the afternoon wandering Old Quebec's UNESCO World Heritage streets, from the clifftop Dufferin Terrace to the narrow lanes of the Petit-Champlain quarter, one of the oldest shopping districts in North America.

Breakfast included

Quebec City, QC

Montmorency Falls, QC

Pier 21 (Canadian Museum of Immigration), NS

Day 4

Quebec City → Montmorency Falls → Fredericton

Begin with a stop at Montmorency Falls, a thundering cascade taller than Niagara just outside the city, then set out on the long drive to Fredericton, New Brunswick's capital on the Saint John River. Along the way, pass near Kings Landing Historical Settlement, a recreated 19th-century Loyalist village of more than 70 relocated heritage buildings, before overnighting in Fredericton.

Breakfast included

Montmorency Falls, QC

Halifax Citadel National Historic Site, NS

Peggys Cove, NS

Day 5

Fredericton → Halifax

Drive on to Halifax, Nova Scotia's capital and one of the world's great natural harbours, and spend the afternoon at Pier 21, Canada's equivalent of Ellis Island, where roughly one million immigrants first set foot in the country between 1928 and 1971. Climb the star-shaped ramparts of the Halifax Citadel for a sweeping view over the harbour before settling in for the night.

Breakfast included

Pier 21 (Canadian Museum of Immigration), NS

Halifax Citadel National Historic Site, NS

Lunenburg, NS

Day 6

Halifax → Peggy's Cove → Lunenburg

Head down the coast to Peggy's Cove, one of the most photographed fishing villages in Canada, its lighthouse perched on wave-smoothed granite above the Atlantic. Continue to Lunenburg, a UNESCO World Heritage town of brightly painted 18th-century merchant houses and the birthplace of the famous racing schooner Bluenose, for the night.

Breakfast included

Peggys Cove, NS

Lunenburg, NS

Cavendish, PE

Day 7

Lunenburg → Confederation Bridge → Charlottetown

Cross the 13-kilometre Confederation Bridge onto Prince Edward Island and head to Cavendish, the real-world setting for Lucy Maud Montgomery's Anne of Green Gables, where the farmhouse that inspired the novel is preserved as a national historic site. Continue to Charlottetown, the "Birthplace of Confederation," where representatives from Canada's founding provinces first met in 1864, for the night.

Breakfast included

Cavendish, PE

Charlottetown, PE

Hopewell Rocks, NB

Day 8

Charlottetown → Hopewell Rocks

Back across the Confederation Bridge to the Bay of Fundy and Hopewell Rocks, where the world's highest tides — up to 16 metres — carve flowerpot-shaped sea stacks and expose the ocean floor twice a day. From there, begin the long drive toward Ottawa, with plenty to look back on from the past week.

Breakfast included

Hopewell Rocks, NB

Parliament Hill, Ottawa, ON

Rideau Canal, Ottawa, ON

Day 9

Arrive Ottawa

Arrive into Ottawa, Canada's capital, and spend the afternoon on Parliament Hill, walking the grounds of the Centre Block and its Peace Tower before a stroll along the Rideau Canal, a UNESCO World Heritage waterway that freezes into the world's largest naturally maintained skating rink each winter.

Breakfast included

Parliament Hill, Ottawa, ON

Rideau Canal, Ottawa, ON

Toronto, ON

Day 10

Ottawa → Toronto departure

Drive back to Toronto, passing near Casa Loma, the Gothic Revival castle built by financier Sir Henry Pellatt in 1914, on the way to your final night in the city. It's a fitting bookend to a ten-day trip through more than four centuries of Eastern Canadian history, from New France to Confederation to the immigrant story that built the modern country.

Breakfast included

Toronto, ON

Old Montreal, QC

Notre-Dame Basilica, Montreal, QC

Route & Distances

1. Toronto→Montreal≈ 540 km
2. Montreal→Quebec City≈ 260 km
3. Quebec City→Fredericton≈ 600 kmvia Kings Landing Historical Settlement
4. Fredericton→Halifax≈ 410 km
5. Halifax→Lunenburg≈ 100 kmvia Peggy's Cove
6. Lunenburg→Charlottetown≈ 330 kmvia the Confederation Bridge
7. Charlottetown→Hopewell Rocks≈ 190 km
8. Hopewell Rocks→Ottawa≈ 850 kmlong scenic day
9. Ottawa→Toronto≈ 450 kmvia Casa Loma

Distances are approximate driving distances, for reference only — actual route and mileage on the day may vary.

Check Availability

What's Included

Meeting & Transfer Info

Flying in to join us in Toronto? Please share your flight details at least 5 days before departure so we can confirm your pickup time. If you're arriving the same day the tour starts, let us know your arrival time as early as possible.

Cancellation Policy

Good to Know

• Valid government-issued photo ID is required for every traveler on all departures.
• Pickup and drop-off times are approximate and may shift by 15–30 minutes depending on traffic and road conditions.
• Itinerary order and stops may change due to weather, road closures, or park conditions — safety comes first.
• Comfortable walking shoes are recommended; stops involve short, easy walks rather than technical hiking.
• Let us know about mobility needs, dietary restrictions, or large group sizes at the time of booking so we can plan accordingly.
• Multi-day tours are priced based on double-occupancy hotel rooms; single-traveler and triple-occupancy rates are available on request.

Frequently Asked Questions

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